Yard maintenance tasks are commonly performed using various tools and/or machines that are configured for the performance of corresponding specific tasks. Certain tasks, like grass cutting, are typically performed by lawn mowers. Lawn mowers themselves may have many different configurations to support the needs and budgets of consumers. Walk-behind lawn mowers are typically compact, have comparatively small engines and are relatively inexpensive. Meanwhile, at the other end of the spectrum, riding lawn mowers, such as lawn tractors, can be quite large. Riding lawn mowers can sometimes also be configured with various functional accessories (e.g., trailers, tillers and/or the like) in addition to grass cutting components. Riding lawn mowers provide the convenience of a riding vehicle as well as a typically larger cutting deck as compared to a walk-behind model.
Riding yard maintenance vehicles, of which riding lawn mowers serve as an example, are typically capable of transiting over even and uneven terrain to execute yard maintenance activities of various types (e.g., lawn mowing, tilling, brush cutting, mulching, etc.). Regardless of the specific operating environment, riding yard maintenance vehicles are often engaged in activities that their riders may wish to track or monitor either for cost considerations or purely for the sake of interest. For example, vehicle owners may simply want to know how long it takes them to complete a certain task, or how much fuel is consumed in connection with the performance of certain regular maintenance activities. Such monitoring may be very tedious and difficult to accomplish when handled manually. As computing devices become more ubiquitous, such devices may be incorporated into the operations of riding yard maintenance vehicles to increase the ability of users to monitor various aspects of vehicle activity.